under the very ground that the authorities are guarding. tijuana, mexico. >> fascinating background stories such as that as the main global headlines are all to be found on www.aljazeera.com. that's www.aljazeera.com. >> fighting isil, president obama is at the meant gone discussing national security as he tries to easy the nation's fears over potential threats. closing arguments in baltimore, the juries will soon get the case the first officer tried in the death of freddie gray. new restrictions, the faa lays out new rules for operating drones. and the shake up at the top of the polls ahead of tuesday's republican debate.

>> this is al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm patricia sabga. we're expecting a statement from president obama the next hour. he's speaking with defense, intelligence and law enforcement officials. polls show mr. obama's primetime dresprime address last week did little to ease american's fears of attack. >> because the president has to steadfastly refuse to make changes in his anti-isil strategy, i think you can expect to hear anything that he has said in the past. when you look back to the last time president obama made a visit over to the pentagon to meet with his national security team. in a statement that i gave in

the briefing room back then, he said that this was going to be a long fight. the progress against isil was being made. the key was to enable forces on the ground. he cited back then the territorial losses that isil had suffered. isil has suffered more since then. he'll probably highlight that. and continue to say that this is a strategy that he believes over time will bear fruit. we're not expecting to hear any new initiatives. secretary carter, who is of course in the meeting with the pentagon, meeting with the defense secretary said last week that the president has once again challenged his entire national security team to come up with new ways, new initiatives to battle isil, and once again that does not envision any large number of u.s. combat forces on the ground. >> well, what else is president obama planning as part of this effort, if you will, to reassure the public especially during the holidays? >> you know, it keeps talking

about the strategy, making the case that there is a strategy while critics question whether the strategy is effective at all. he'll be making more appea iowa appearances. he's trying to make the effort that to try to make the case that the u.s. does have a multi prong strategy. they argued the case that this strategy, will have lasting defeat to isil. that's what they're doing on the public relations front. >> they're trying to bolster confidence. but they're always concerned about domestic attacks. but aren't those concerns more acute this year? >> i think you're going to hear the same concerns about how difficult it is to defend against the loan wolf attack. back in july the president was talking about the attack in

garland, texas, and they'll be talking after the san bernardino attacks, and how difficult the threat is, and how the u.s. needs to up it's game to stop them. >> we'll have more from the pentagon. jamie mcintyre. well, closing arguments are going on in baltimore in the first of six criminal trials over the death of freddie gray. the 25-year-old died from injuries suffered in the back of a police van. one of six police officers charged in the case, john terrett is live in baltimore for us. john, how long are these summations expected to take? >> hey, patricia, good morning from baltimore. things are moving very quickly here. i've just come back from the courthouse, and we've already had the judge's instructions. the judge has told the jury how they have to think about this case when they get to the jury room. we just heard the closing argument from the prosecution. now they're on a break. then there will be the closing argument from the defense

looking at these things all things being equal, they may get this case late morning or certainly early afternoon. then of course we have no idea how long it will take them to deliberate. we do know that barry williams, the judge, wants this case done by thursday. >> john, as you pointed out earlier this morning, this case is what the officer did not do to help freddie gray, than what he actually did. >> that's absolutely right. in a sense that was the theme of the prosecutor who was doing the summing up in just a few moments ago. point out inconsistencies as prosecution see it as to what porter said on the stand, pointing out that they think he lied on the stand regarding the state of freddie gray's health at the time he was to ask to inspect him in the back of the police van.

they were--the jury was told to look at it from the point of disregard of human life and with great power comes great responsibility, and the officer had the responsibility to save freddie gray's life, and he walked away from that. >> are police concerned about possible unrest again if this officer is cleared? >> well, you know, i think everyone is concerned about it, to be honest with you. i don't get the sense that the city is as tense as it was when this trial got under way and not as tense as it was at the time of freddie gray's death. but they have canceled all leave in the next seven days. the officers will work seven days in a row, 12 hours a day in

each shift. they're looking at variety of scenarios to cope. and the city of baltimore is sticking by its stats. remember, there are six trials running down to the middle of next year. thwe'll watch the outcome of all of them. >> thank you. now this morning there is anger in los angeles over the shooting death of an armed man at a busy intersection. the los angeles county sheriff office is promising a full investigation but demonstrators say the shooting was not justified. bisi onile-ere reports. >> there are images that feel eerily familiar. sheriff deputies in los angeles caught by a bystanders cell phone during a deadly encounter. [ gunfire ] the victory was 28-year-old nicolas robertson, an african-american. his death already sparking outrage with activists taking to social media calling for

justice, and family members asking why. >> you can see on the video that's crawling away, and they're still just shooting. >> the sheriff department said that deputies responded to multiple calls reporting robertson was roaming the area with a firearm acting erratically. >> we have six 911 calls that were received from other businesses and residents in the area. not only was he armed, but he had actually discharged the firearm several times. >> the deputies yelled for robertson to put the weapon down, but he ignored them. >> there are two people, two women and three children in a car at a gas pump that is within five feet of him at the time. actually, we interviewed those witnesses and they expressed grave concern that they believed the suspect was going to shoot them. >> according to authorities the two deputies fired a total of 33 shots. they have both been reassigned

responsibilities pending investigation. they are not sure why robertson was acting so agitated. >> we're in the sure, but there may be a drug connection to it as well. >> it appears to us that a black man once again was shot and killed by law enforcement. >> but also urged patience and calm. >> let the investigation take its course and wherever it takes us and leads us to, that's where we'll go. we're asking people don't make a decision based on a ten-second clip that is seen on the news. >> bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, new york. >> today marks three years since the sandy hook massacre in new town, connecticut. 20 first grade children were and six teachers were killed. families are asking the public

to honor the victims by showing acts of kindness. well, the faa is calling for drone owners to region stir their aircraft before march next year. the new registration process is mandatory of all users of unmanned aircraft. they expect drone sells to be high this holiday, and they are giving owners the opportunity to learn air-safe rules and responsibility. can you till us more about this registration process? >> patricia, this is basically for anyone who wants to fly a drone for recreational use. it applies from anything from a half pound to 55 pounds needs to be registered. the faa is treating these like aircraft. you have to register your cessna, your boeing, and now your drone. here are some of the details. if you bought that drone before

the registration begins which is next monday, you have to register by december 19th. if you buy your drone after or by february 19th. excuse me. if you buy your drone after december 21st, then you have to register it before you make the first flight. you have to pay a fee, $5 to register your drone. but if you register within the first 30 days, the faa will give it to you for free. this drone registration will last for three years. you'll get an unique number, and you have to put that on your drone. so that means if it crashes somewhere the faa can trace it back to you. there are penalties if you don't register. civil penalties can be up to $27,000. criminal penalties up to $250. and three years in jail, obviously those are for the most serious violations, but the faa is quite serious about this. they want you to get your drone into the faa database. it will be an online registration, by the way,

patricia. >> those are some pretty steep fines for average drone enthusiasts. why is the faa deciding to do this now? >> well, as you can imagine, i'm sorry to use this pun, but they're going to be flying off the shelves over christmas. they expect hundreds of thousands of drones to be sold. they want to get this in before the holiday season. also there have been a lot of alarming incidentin incidents. there was a drone that crashed on the white house lawn. there was a drawn in the stands of the u.s. open. there were drones in the firefighters in california when they were trying to fight wildfires in the air. there have been 1100 reports of pilots of drone sightings. in fact, a study out just on friday found that 327 of those were fairly close calls. 90 of them involved commercial jet liners. you can see why the concern.

the faa, as you said, is trying to make drone ownership responsible and make sure if something does happen they can figure out who was flying that drone. >> just in time for the holidays. lisa stark, thank you very much. world leaders are now trying to sell a major agreement on climate change to their respective governments. the deal struck on saturday is the first global consensus on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. the agreement promises to help poor countries to build their economies without degrading the environment. every five years each country target will be evaluated. congress does not have to ratify the deal. it only requires the president's signature. up next, gaining momentum. republicans surge through the polls just before the iowa caucuses. hover board fall out.

how the popular scooter went from being the hottest holiday gift to being yanked from store shelves.

>> we are scared. >>...have an organized right-wing movement trying to kill others. >> planned parenthood has filed a federal lawsuit against the state of howe after a state investigation into the group's practices. the state attorney general found planned parenthood clinics in cleveland, cincinnati, and columbus inproperly disposed of fetal remains. the group found the findings inflammatory and say they're

calculated to lead to a ban on abortion. donald trump still leads in the national polls, but ted cruz is gaining on him. the latest nbc news puts cruz 22% just five points behind trump. and in iowa cruz is winning. two separate polls put him ahead 2 to 10 points. now trump is taking aim at cruz. >> i don't think he has the right temperament. i don't think he has the right adjustment. >> what is wrong with his temperament? >> well, you look at how he deals with the senate, when he goes in there frankly like a maniac. you'll never get things done that way. i built a phenomenal business. i'm worth billions of dollars. i have some of the greatest assets anywhere in the world. you can't walk into the senate and scream and call people liars and not be able to cajole and get along with people. he'll never get anything done. that's the problem with ted.

>> and touc trump said he could beat hillary clinton in a general election. political scientists told us earlier that cruz does have a history of not being a republican team player. >> ted cruz has made his political persona at thumbing his nose at establishment. he does not work well with others, and does very the temperament to work and do what needs to happen. >> he said that if donald trump is the nominee it will demoralize the republican establishment, and a lot of republicans will not be excited about voting for trump. well trump and cruz will both be on the main stage for

tuesday's debate, as well as new jersey governor chris christie as well as rand paul. recent polls in iowa and new hampshire have been just enough support to meet the threshold to make the main stage. shell announced it will cut 2800 jobs after it's merger with british oil company bg, that's 3% of the company's workforce. energy companies have been struggling with the prolonged slump in oil prices. shell has also given up on several projects including exploring the arctic ocean north of alaska, and earlier cuts eliminated 7500 positions. in the navajo nation, grocery stores are few and far between, which some say explains why there are poor diets.

>> here on the navajo nation, one in four were diabetic or prediabetic. locals say the root of the problem is access and options when it comes to food. for the last five years loretta has been raising sheep and growing her own vegetables. she said self-sufficiency is almost the only option. the navajo nation it's roughly the size of south carolina. >> we have problems having access to good quality food. we don't have access to grocery stores. we don't have the convenience of drive together nearest grocery store that carries good quality foods. >> for those who can't make the

drive, gas stations and trading posts fill the spaces in between with few options for healthy food. the result is a range of disturbing health problems. but the question of food access could soon be getting renewed focus. there have been a set of benchmarks from the united nations called sustainable goals. the director of the denay policy institute. he said that kind of attention would be a good first step. >> over time the average person in the u.s. has access to food, and for me personally i have had family members who have passed on because of unchecked diabetes and i know people who are constantly diagnosed with them. and it gets scary. >> citizens hearsay that the trend that can be reversed, but that involves policy changes in the state and local level.

until then navajo citizens say that the change needs to come from within inside, native people growing native food. >> a warm welcome for syrian refugees arriving in canada. [singing] >> a children's choir sang this song of hope in arabic for the refugees when they arrived in toronto. the song is significant to many in the muslim faith. it was also sung to the prophet muhammad when he, too, sought refugee. canadians are earning praise for how they're treating refugees. two online retailers are hitting the brakes on hover boards. >> hover boards is on fire. >> timothy paid $500 for his hover board, but he said it started burning up just three days after he got it.

>> i hadn't even rode it 7500 feet, and it just exploded. boom! >> according to the consumer product safety commission there are ten active fire investigations in nine states involving fiery hover boards including one that badly burned houses in new york and louisiana. >> coy hear it. it was like fireworks. just like that. >> now amazon appears to have joined other retailers pulling most hover boards from its site. the online seller swag way said that amazon has notified all hover board sellers who want to sell through amazon must first prove that their boards meet federal safety standards. over stock.com has stopped selling the board all together. th >> the fire problems appear to be come from the charging and

lithium ion batteries. the same type of batteries in smart phones and laptops but much bigger and more powerful. the federal aviation administration ran that test showing what could happen on flights. that's part of the reason why most airline carriers will not allow people to bring on hover boards. >> i'm hoping that they work out the kinks. >> it has made others check their christmas list twice to see if hover boards should still be on it. >> i really don't want it any more. >> john henry smith, al jazeera. >> "star wars," the force awakens hits theaters worldwide this friday. all six of the star worse movies have made billions. and as reported the franchise's cult following is breathing new life into a forgotten art form.

>> r 2 d 2 recognized but with a distinct difference. this is "star wars." elaborate shadow craft by crafted puppets are projected on to a screen. the master puppeteer provides every move, provides the narration and the voices. [ music ] while the traditional band of musicians plays the sound track. it's a concept dreamt up by the designer and a friend. >> how to reconnect youth to this traditional act. so maybe if you use something that they can easily recognize like darth vader, that helps to project. >> it came to fruition with the help of the veteran of the art form. he had seen the popularity dwindle over the decades.

this is how they hope to keep it alive. he started a gallery for visitors as well as a school where he trains puppeteers, crafts men and musicians. >> in the past they would attract crowds of a thousand people. that number is more than half with the younger generation choosing to watch movies instead. now this comes as a pleasant surprise. >> as a puppeteer, i never expect so many to come. this is a good sign. >> a troop travels around malaysia giving performances, which are being well received. >> most of the young people think this is hard work, the idea is crazy. how can you do something that is science fiction in a very old culture. >> however, the show which has received permission from lukas

films, the producer of the of the "star wars" films need funding. now it's just a 15-minute performance, but still enough to revive a dying art. al jazeera, m malaysia. >> "star wars": the force awakens" the film is opening for fans today. regular fans have been camped out in front of the historic chinese theater for more than a week. they're waiting for thursday's midnight screening. thank you for joining us. i'm patricia sagba. the news continues with del walters. president obama is expected to speak from the white house about the fight against isil. >> we want freedom, freedom! >>...and what america can learn from chicago's ongoing gun violence.

>> isil set to speak on national security soon as he tries to ease the nation's fears over potential threats. closing arguments in baltimore, the jury could soon have the case of the first officer tried in the death of freddie gray. new restrictions on operating drones. and the shake up ahead of tomorrow night's g.o.p. debate. >> you're looking live right now. that's the pentagon briefing room. that's where president obama